Wind fuels Johnson Co. fire; several acres burned

Tennessee forestry officials tells us a fire sparked Tuesday afternoon after a tree fell on top of a power line on Rhea Road in Johnson County. View photos here.

A fire still smolders in Johnson County with a sea of ashes sloping down a mountain. It's what left of a massive blaze just off Highway 421 near Mountain City that spread to 14 acres Tuesday evening, putting over 50 firefighters in danger.

"The first call came in initially as a power outage," said James Brown, chief of the Second District Volunteer Fire Department.

Residents said a massive tree was uprooted and hit a power line on its way down, causing sparks to fly. Then, brush caught fire. "[The fire] was very small and contained, about 20 or 30 yards around. With the wind, in about five minutes, it had tripled in size and started climbing up the mountain," local resident Marty Anderson described.

Brown told us flames were 10 feet high and spreading beyond fire lines because of 20 mile-per-hour wind gusts. "As quick as they'd get one established, the wind would pick up more, and it would jump that and keep going," said Brown.

It was a frightening scene for Max Cuddy, whose home sat right outside one of the burn barriers. "It was nerve-wracking, you know, because the wind was blowing different directions. It just kept moving around," Cuddy said.

That's why fire officials warn extra caution burning this time of year. "Usually March is a really windy month. You need to be really aware when you're burning," Brown advised.